My three day SF itinerary...
 

I'll be arriving noon on a Monday - that day will be spent wandering around the Hotel neighborhood- financial district and maybe shopping and Ferry building.

Tuesday- want to explore Japantown and Pacific Heights (and surrounding areas)

MOMA
Japantown
Walk over to Alta Plaza, Cottage Row
Spreckles mansion
Fillimore Street
Chestnut Street
over to Polk Street and Union Street

Wed

Cab to Palace of the Legion
Walk along Clement Street to
Haight Asbury and Coe Valley
Alamo Square
Hayes Valley

Thursday

Tiburon
and any of the above I missed

I might not have the above in the right order (I don't have my SF map in front of me).

I have been to the touristy areas of SF and wanted to explore places I haven't been. Pacific Heights (cow hollow) for one - any streets not to be missed?

I'll be walking most of the time - too much?

thanks for all of your help

If you have time, consider having a great breakfast at Dottie's True Blue Cafe on Jones Street. There's usually about an hour wait (on the street), but it is worth it!

Where is Jones Street?

And is it possible to have Dim Sum for dinner? Or is it just a lunch thing?

In the Pac Heights/Cow HOllow area, the streets you'll want to check out for shopping and people watching are:

1. Chestnut Street b/n Divisadero and Fillmore. Note - it is only a short walk to the Palace of Fine Arts and the Marina Green (along SF Bay). It's beautiful around there.

2. Union Street b/n Steiner and Gough Streets

3. Fillmore Street b/n Jackson and Sutter Streets. Note: the Sutter street end of Fillmore is very close to Japantown. You walk from Japantown up Fillmore street, walk to Alta Plaza and then head down Pacific or Washington Streets to see the Spreckles Mansion.

I'd Union Street after Spreckles Mansion and then walk down to Chestnut Street (kind of a zig-zag route).

Have fun!

If you're planning on Alamo Sq on a Wednesday, there are two Wednesdays each month where SF City Guides offers a free walking tour of "Landmark Victorians of Alamo Square. It starts at 11:00 and quite often you get to go inside probably the most extravagent Victorian interior in SF. My wife is a volunteer tour guide quite often.

City Guides also offers tours of Japan Town, but it's on a Saturday. On Tuesday, they offer a "Pacific Heights Mansion" tour that includes the Spreckles mansion (AKA the Danielle Steele house), along with the Flood Mansion, and a few others. City guides is sponsored by the SF Public Library. See details at
www.SFCityguides.org

>>>
MOMA
Japantown
Walk over to Alta Plaza, Cottage Row
Spreckles mansion
Fillimore Street
Chestnut Street
over to Polk Street and Union Street
<<

There is a VERY steep uphill from Union St to the Fillmore/Alta Plaza park area. You're going to be busy that day, but here is the sequence I'd do them in so you are walking downhill instead of uphill.

-MOMA
-Take 38 Geary bus to Japantown
-Walk north on Laguna, past several beautiful Victorian houses in the 1800 block, to Calif St.
-Turn right on Calif. st and there are more large Victorians on the north side of the street (walk on the shaded south side for the best views). Proceed east on Calif
-Turn left/north on Octavia, and admire the Atherton Mansion on the corner.

-Proceed uphill (the only one), north on Octavia and go into Lafayette Park.
-Traverse Lafayette park. Explore a little while you are there - try to find the highest point for a lovely view of the bay.
-the Spreckels Mansion is at the corner of Octavia and the park
-Walk west on Washington to Fillmore St (downhill)
-Explore Fillmore St, including cottage Row (where did you hear about that??)
-Head west on Washington into Alta Vista park - again, good views.
- now's the big downhill!! Walk north on Scott or one of the other streets.
-When you hit Broadway, turn left (west) to see some of the most expensive realestate in SF. Walk by Gordon Getty's house, Larry Ellison's Asian Fing Schway (no idea how to spell that) mansion (north side of Broadway), and a few other really large estates. Keep going west till you hit the Presidio, and then retrace your steps, and continue north on Clay to Union St.
- walk east (turn right) on Union - the main section starts in about 3 blocks.
-After exploring Union St, walk north on Fillmore, past Matrix/Fillmore bar, past the Bermuda Triangle (3 bar/restaurants on the corner), cross Lombard, and on to Chestnut St
-Explore Chestnut St
-Take the bus back

I didn't include Polk St - another big uphill to get there from Union st. The above will keep you quite busy.

You calf muscles will be sore the next day.

Stu Dudley

thank you all...
my husband and I will be leaving for SF tomorrow morning - business trip for him - a last minute trip for me.

thank you so much - this will help so much!!

>>my husband and I will be leaving for SF tomorrow morning - <<

Pack a sweater. We're having a heat wave everywhere, except in many sections of SF. The Union St, Fillmore, Pacific Heights areas were really foggy, windy, & cool by 5:00PM today.

Stu Dudley